The issuance of this Executive Order is a positive step forward.

I appreciate what the Chairman has said about his desire to focus on cybersecurity this Congress. But as we saw in the 112th Congress, simply wanting to pass cybersecurity legislation is not sufficient.

Each week brings new reports of cyber breaches. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated.

Last week, I, along with Ranking Member Clarke, sent you a letter urging you to insist upon a referral of the bill.

new sharing under CISPA would have gone to civilian agencies and DHS respectively.

the homeland security grant funds have been essential in developing the capabilities necessary to quickly and effectively respond to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Yesterday, we learned that our 2013 allocation would be further reduced by 8.2 percent.

In 2011, the Committee on Homeland Security's budget was cut by 6.8 percent.

The retention of qualified staff, as well as the ability to bring on qualified staff, is essential to the work of this committee.

These efforts and many others are taking place at a time when we must remain as vigilant as ever to protect the homeland.

Regardless of these differences, Madam Chairwoman, I would hope that we can all agree that pulling the equivalent of 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 2,750 CBP Officers from our borders, as called for by the sequester, is no way to achieve…

So, very succinctly, have we put that strategy in writing so that Members of Congress and others might know what it is?

A number of us for quite a while have been trying to get a comprehensive border strategy, and we have tried to encourage the Department to come up with it.

Is it your opinion that that border control index would be something positive for the security of the border?

I want to remind all our Members that border security is linked to immigration matters and will be an integral part of any reform proposal.

Forcing the Coast Guard to curtail air and surface operation by more than 25 percent, reducing essential missions including migrant and drug interdiction and port security operations is no way to achieve border security.

This data would appear to suggest that while border-related crime is a concern, border communities are largely safe places to live, work, and do business.

Additionally, reducing the number of available immigration detention beds from 34,000 that we have today is no way to secure our borders.

Our energies will be wasted and our opportunities will be squandered if we do not work towards the goal of making the people of this Nation safer.

One of your priorities is border security. Since 2004, we have doubled the number of Border Patrol agents and more than doubled the number of unauthorized aliens removed from this country.

We cannot play our part in assuring the success of the homeland security mission if we are not willing to use the full weight of the committee structure--both subcommittees and the full committee--to pursue a well-crafted agenda.

As Members of Congress, each of us has a responsibility to ensure that the Department is able to adequately perform its mission of protecting the Nation from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made catastrophes, and natural disasters.

Without it, we cannot be certain that our border control resources are strategic and well-coordinated.

This strategy sounds a great deal like the PRECISE Act, a bill this committee marked up last Congress but was prevented from moving to the Floor by the Majority leadership.

That mission cannot be achieved without appropriate funding, vigorous oversight, and targeted legislation.